The Guardian (11 page)

Again he moved her hand with his. The gun came out from under the couch. Anna could see it for the first time. It was a little Remington .380. It was black and had a rubber grip. She could see the little red dot on the side where the safety had been moved into the
on
position.

“So, what’s this thing for, anyway?” Anna asked.

“Hopefully, nothing.” Father Vin raised his eyebrows. “It’s not the only one in here, by the way. There are four more hidden. We’ve never had to use them. Thank the good Lord. They are merely for protection. If something should ever happen, well then, we have them.”

“Show me the others.” Finally, something exciting. “Anna, have you ever shot a gun?” Father Vin had a concerned look.

Anna snorted. “My dad’s the biggest hunter in the entire state of Tennessee. With this peashooter”—she held up the .380—”I could shoot the wings off a gnat at fifty yards. What else you got?”

Father Vin smiled. He placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up off the couch.

Anna followed him. She had left the .380 back on the coffee table with the safety still on. She watched the priest open the lavatory door and step inside. She peeked her head around the corner to see what he was doing. He sat down on the seat and placed his hand, palm flat out, on the sheet of marble that was the front of the sink and then pushed against the marble. Again Anna heard a faint
click
. A six-by-nine-inch piece of the marble popped out. He pulled it to the side. It was fixed to the rest of the sink with hinges that allowed it to move back and forth like a sliding glass door.

Father Vin reached in and pulled out another pistol. This time it was a revolver, a .38 Special. Again it was in a holster with the strap locked and the safety on.

Anna took the pistol. The weight of it felt good in her hands. It was one of her favorite handguns. Her father had one just like it. She could remember the first time her father let her shoot a gun. It was a .38 just like this one. She handed it back to Father Vin and watched him place it back in its hiding place. He moved the marble door back to its position and snapped it shut. “Here,” he said, “you try to open it.”

She took his place in the lavatory, placed her hand on the marble slab, and pushed. Nothing. No
click
. She tried again. Still nothing. She tried smacking the side of the sink. Still nothing. “I think it’s broken,” she said.

Father Vin gave her a sly grin. “Why don’t you try sitting down and doing it?”

“What’s the difference? Standing, sitting—what does it matter?” She continued to knock at the side of the sink.

“Really, Anna. Try sitting.” Father Vin gave her a nod.

She sat down on the seat and placed her hand in the same position it had been ten seconds ago. This time, however, when she pushed on the marble, she heard the
click
. The little door popped open, and she was able to move it back. “Okay. What gives?”

Father Vin laughed for a few seconds before letting her in on his little joke. “It’s weight activated. You have to be sitting on the seat. There has to be at least sixty pounds of weight sitting on that seat before that compartment will open. It’s a safety feature.”

“Well, let’s hope I have to go to the restroom if I ever need to use this gun,” Anna said sarcastically.

The plane touched down at the airfield in Pau, France, and rolled to a stop in a private hangar. Marie was already finishing up her postflight checks and gave the all clear sign. She pulled the lever and allowed the air-locked door to open, releasing the stairs to the tarmac below where a car was already waiting for them.

Father Vin was about to follow Anna out the door when Hale stopped him. He tapped Father Vin on the shoulder and asked if he could speak to him for a second in private. Father Vin stepped back into the main cabin and placed his shoulder bag on the seat.

“What is it, Hale? Is everything okay?” Father Vin asked.

“Well, it may be nothing, Vin.” Hale had somewhat of a frown on his face. “I just wanted to tell you that we had a blip on our radar. It was about two hundred miles back.”

“What do you mean a blip?”

“Another aircraft. It may be nothing, like I said. It just kind of popped out at me. You know?”

“Yes, Hale. I appreciate your being on top of things. Do you think it was following us?”

“It seemed to be. I even changed course a couple of times to see if it would follow.”

“And?”

“And … it seemed to just stay with us. I don’t know how they would be tracking us. I certainly don’t think that they could have radar as sophisticated as ours. You know our stuff is NASA level. It’s probably just a coincidence. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Thank you, Hale. Whether or not it was, it’s good to know about it. I’ll make sure that Anna and I are careful.” Father Vin shook Hale’s hand and headed off the plane. He told Hale that they may, or may not, be leaving tomorrow. Hale said they would be ready either way.

Father Vin hurried to the waiting car. He tossed his bag to the driver, who put it in the trunk with Anna’s, and then got in the backseat.

“What was that all about?” Anna asked.

“Nothing. Hale just wanted to know when we would be leaving. That’s all.”

Anna looked at Father Vin dubiously. “You know, it’s a good thing that you became a priest.”

“Why’s that?” Father Vin was puzzled. “Because you can’t lie worth a darn!”

The car pulled away from the tarmac and headed toward their hotel. Father Vin had used the satellite phone to book them a room at a hotel in Pau for the night. Tomorrow they would make the short drive to Oloron-Sainte-Marie.

C
ardinal Joseph McCoy hadn’t stopped asking questions since they got into the cab and headed away from Vatican City. It reminded Cardinal Wickham of a child asking, “Are we there yet?” Only Joseph kept asking, “What do you mean, a friend? Who is this guy? What does he want with me?”

Finally, Wickham had had enough. Thank goodness he had never had children. “If you don’t shut up, we’re going back home!” That seemed to keep the young cardinal quiet for a few moments at a time. Inevitably, though, Joseph would start back up with his questions.

When the cab finally stopped in front of Mad Jack’s, Louis told him that this was their stop.

“What are we doing here?” Joseph asked. “Louis, we can’t be seen in here! We’ll be excommunicated! They’ll throw us out! What will we do then?”

“Joseph,” Wickham said, “shut up. Do you honestly think the type of people that frequent this establishment are going to recognize you? Look at you!” He held his hands out in front of him. “You’re wearing a baseball cap and blue jeans. You’ve got a sweatshirt on that looks like you slept in it last night. You’re not exactly looking like a man of the cloth. Wouldn’t you say?” “Yeah, I guess. But still—”

“Still, nothing! I come in here all the time. No one has ever said anything to me. That’s why I come here. No one says anything to anyone. It’s a safe place.”

“Okay. I just think we should be careful.”

“Why don’t you let me worry about that. Come on. We’re going to be late. Believe me, you don’t want to keep our friend waiting. He can be very impatient.”

The two cardinals walked into the pub and made their way to a table in the rear of the bar. No one was there waiting for them, even though it was the table they were instructed to be at. Louis told Joseph that they should just wait here. He assured Joseph that the man would be along momentarily.

The waitress asked them for their order. Louis ordered for them both—two Guinness drafts. She wrote the order down on her little note pad and disappeared as quickly as she showed up.

A tall, good-looking man wearing a dark pin-striped suit walked through the door. He made his way over to the bar and spoke to the bartender. The bartender handed him three drinks, two Guinness drafts, and a brown-looking liquid in a tall glass. The man laid a few bills out on the counter and picked up the drinks. He turned and walked toward Louis and Joseph. He set the drinks down on the table and took a seat.

“Gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, how are you this evening?” He pushed the frothy beers at the two cardinals. “I went ahead and picked up our first round. I hope you guys are thirsty. Cheers!” He held up his glass, waiting for the others to do the same. Joseph and Louis picked up their beers and clinked them against the man’s glass. “Here’s to the future!”

Louis chugged his beer. Being around the man made him nervous, and he needed to take the edge off. After he set down his empty glass, he gestured toward the man and said, “Joseph, this is my, ah, friend.”

The man stuck out his hand. “You can call me Prince.”

“Your name is Prince?” Joseph lifted an eyebrow.

“It’s more of a title, so to speak.” The man smiled and shook Joseph’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The men talked and drank for the next couple of hours. Louis explained to Joseph that Prince was responsible for the start-up of the Brotherhood. He told Joseph that he and Prince were basically working together. Prince laughed and cheerfully corrected Louis. “You work for me, my friend.”

Louis felt a bit ill. He watched Prince exude more charisma than he’d ever seen from the man before. He watched Joseph become totally captivated by the man when he spoke. He knew only too well what was happening inside the other cardinal. Everything Prince said would somehow touch a nerve inside. By the end of the two hours, Joseph would want nothing more than to do whatever this Prince wanted. And there was nothing Louis dared do to prevent it—and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

It was getting late and the pub was about to close. The men were finishing up their final round of drinks when Prince finally got down to business. He leaned in close to Joseph and looked him dead in the eye.

“Joseph, my friend, I’ve known about you for a long time.”

“How do you mean?” Joseph slurred his words.

“Well, let’s just say that I find you very interesting. You know? Louis wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t for me. I put him in the secretary of state position. I could do you one better. I could make you pope!”

“And how could you do that?” He suddenly looked much soberer.

“Ah, that’s where it gets tricky!” Prince leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms and placed his hand under his chin. “What are you willing to give for such power in this world, Joseph?”

Ah, here it came. He would spring the trap any moment. Louis felt half in awe watching it unfold. Prince was truly a master of manipulation.

“Provided you can deliver, I’d say just about anything. No more archives for me, right Louis?”

Louis rolled his eyes. Joseph was almost too easy a target. Prince must be thoroughly bored by the entire thing.

Prince spoke softly now. He looked intently into the eyes of the young cardinal. “Take my hand, Joseph. Let me show you what you could have.” He reached out his hand.

Joseph hesitantly took the outstretched hand that clasped his. Like a trap. Louis shuddered.

Prince smiled triumphantly. “What do you see, my friend?”

Joseph’s eyes glazed over as if his mind had left his body. “I see a man standing at a podium addressing a huge crowd of people. It’s me. I’m standing on the papal balcony. I’m dressed as the pope, holding the pope’s staff. Thousands of people are below, applauding as if I’ve done something miraculous. I’m waving and blowing kisses out to the mass of people.”

Prince let go of his hand, and Joseph’s eyes lost the vacant sheen. The place was now empty, except for the bartender and a few waitresses. Louis couldn’t help smiling. It was all so neatly done.

“That was amazing! How did you do that? Who are you?” Joseph studied Prince.

“I am the man who can make you pope, Joseph. I already told you that.”

“What do you want from me?” Joseph asked.

“I want
you
, Joseph. That’s all. Just you.”

“Well, if all you want is for me to work for you, then count me in. As long as I get to be pope, I don’t care.”

“Ah, but I didn’t say I wanted your services, Joseph. I said I wanted you.” The man raised his eyebrows and tilted his head.

“Yeah, whatever.” Joseph dismissed him. “As long as I get to be pope.”

“Good!” Prince stood and motioned for Joseph and Louis to do the same. “Let’s take a walk. I’d like to show you something else, Joseph.” He put his arm around Joseph and led him out the back door. “Louis has already seen this.” He smirked at Louis. “Why don’t you take care of our tab? We’ll meet you out front.”

A
nna and Father Vin sat in the backseat of the car as it drove along a small road. Anna could still taste the honey butter from this morning’s breakfast. There was a small restaurant outside the hotel where they had stayed. Anna wanted to have croissants and espresso since she was in France. Father Vin had readily agreed. It was one of his favorites, as well.

Once again, the hotel that they had stayed in, the Minotel de Gramont, was a luxurious one. Once again, she had been listed under a fake name. And once again, she didn’t get to cash in on the personal staff option. They had quickly taken showers, eaten breakfast, and gotten on the road.

The drive to Oloron-Sainte-Marie was a short one, filled with spectacular views of the Pyrenees Mountains. It was clear why this town was such a big tourist attraction.

The city was alive with vendors and small shops that lined the streets. There were a few chocolate shops that boasted they carried the world-famous Pryénéen chocolates, which happened to be made right there in Oloron-Sainte-Marie.

As they wound their way through the city, the cathedral came into view. The driver turned on the little road that led up the hill to the front entrance. Anna and Father Vin got out and told the driver that he would be called when they were ready to be picked up. He took a business card from the driver and stuck it in his billfold. The driver sped away as they headed up the stairs to the beautiful cathedral.

“I can understand why my grandfather wanted to surprise my grandmother with this,” Anna said. “It’s gorgeous.”